This invention is a termination with single, dual, plural, or complex passages for capturing and terminating the string of a stringed musical instrument.
The standard termination for a steel guitar string is a small bead shaped like a pulley. The string is looped around the pulley slightly over one-half turn and then twisted with itself. This string termination is not as strong as the string, and it also creates tuning problems in a tremolo bridge, as discussed by Smith in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,443.
This basic twist design has been strengthened by Ball in U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,976 with a wrap over the twist and by Manson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,871 by adding an extra piece of string just in the twist and bead area. A reinforced end loop is also shown by Kosmis in U.S. Pat. No. 2,535,143.
Smith in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,443 proposed a termination with a single passage with multiple turns of the string. Stone and Allmansberger disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,806 a bead with a single rough hole.
Manson in British Patent GB 2,226,910 discloses a molded or welded bead which incorporates a bent string. An S shaped string similar to that shown in the Manson British Patent results from inserting the string into a tube and crimping the tube as illustrated by Chaffee, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,613.
A U shaped structure which allows merely wrapping a wire string thereabouts to form an anchor termination is illustrated by Coupe in U.S. Pat. No. 2,753,749.
The steel cable arts not related to the musical instrument include a two-piece socket and wedge cable termination. The cable goes into the straight side of the socket, around the large end of the wedge, and back out the socket on the tapered side.
The object of the present invention is to provide a termination for a string instrument which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a termination for a string of a musical instrument wherein the weakest point of the string is not at the termination.
A further object of the present invention is to eliminate the twist lock and associated problems of the prior art.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a termination where the string begins to vibrate as close as possible to the termination.
These and other objects are achieved by providing a termination having a body with a passage therein which defines a bend having an edge between a first and second portion. Deformation of at least the first portion of the passage secures the end of the string traversing the passage up stream from the edge. Preferably the first and second passages are through passages in the body with their second ends being displaced such that the edge is formed by the string bending about a portion of the body between the two displaced ends. The first and second portions or the through passages maybe coplanar or non-coplanar. The passage may be one continuous passage having first and second portions or maybe two through passages wherein the string would traverse the exterior of the body. Preferably the passage where the string enters the termination is linear and symmetrical with respect to the body. This restricts or prevents rotation of the body and therefore unbending of the crimped string. The first or second portions or passages maybe separated or joined at their first ends. Although the passage or passages may be formed in a single body, a two piece body may also be used.
One method of forming a terminated string for a musical instrument would included forming a passage in a first surface of a termination body. This is followed by inserting the first end of the string into the passage and exiting at least the first end of the passage. Finally, the body is crimped substantially parallel to the surface to secure the string to the body. The passage formed is one of those previously described.